SiteWatch Newsletter Protecting the Enchantment Spring 2012
The View from Here …. Mission Statement By Norm Nelson SiteWatch is a statewide volunteer …includes a successful Annual Meeting, two program coordinated by the State Historic recent trainings, a new Chapter Coordinator in Preservation Division (HPD) and funded by the SW Chapter, and more partners in need of public and private partnerships. SiteWatch is SiteWatch volunteers! founded upon the belief that the preservation of New Mexico’s cultural heritage is essential to
The Annual Meeting was in Santa Fe this year, our state and nation’s knowledge and quality of
on February 19 (see article Page 4). Several life. SiteWatch seeks to conserve and protect cultural properties by coordinating the efforts of great presentations were made by guest New Mexico’s citizens and landowners as they lecturers, including Dr. Robert Dello-Russo (OAS/MNM) about his Paleoindaian research at serve as stewards and educational docents of Yourthe By Water-line Canyon Site, Dr. Alysia Abbott their own cultural resources. By reducing the (Abbotech) and her presentation Pre-Contact degradation of cultural treasures due to occupants near the San Miguel Chapel, Peter vandalism, theft, and natural processes through
Lipscomb from NM State Parks and his talk monitoring and education, SiteWatch ensures that irreplaceable heritage resources can be “Archaeology meets Astronomy; the Sky of our Ancestors and the Chaco Canyon Supernova”, appreciated by current and future generations and Dedie Snow’s (NMCRIS/ARMS) of New Mexicans.◄
presentation “A History of ARMS and Site Survey Handbook: The most recent copy of the hand- in NM”. All were informative and entertaining! book is posted with our SiteWatch forms (and
this newsletter) at: Gary Newgent provided a Site Steward http://www.nmhistoricpreservation.org/documents/128.DOCU Foundation Update and Business Meeting. For MENT.pdf
Continued on Page 2
I N S I D E T H I S I SSUE State Coordinator Norm Nelson, Archaeologist, News from the State Coordinator Historic Preservation Division 1 407 Galisteo St., Rm 236, Santa Fe, NM 87501 News Bits/Students Fined for Vandalism [email protected] 3 505-476-0255 NewsBits Cont’d/ Annual Meeting 4 Assistant State Coordinator Site Damaged at Elephant Butte Rebecca Procter,New Mexico State Parks, 505-476-3385 5 [email protected] 6 John Morris Recognized for Service Volunteer Deputy State Coordinator Mark Rosenblum [email protected]
Page | 1 New Mexico SiteWatch Continued from Page 1 → Look for new activity around the Roswell area anyone new to SiteWatch, the Foundation is our in the coming year (BLM lands). Socorro BLM is friends group and assists us every year with the also looking to get back into the act, and the new meeting. Thanks to them, we have a meeting Cibola Forest Archaeologist, Jeremy Kulishceck space, a silent auction, and lunch for attendees. from the Santa Fe Forest, promises more activity Check out their website and consider joining the in the near future. Magdelena, Torrance County, foundation…they love to set up tours and travel and the Kiowa Grasslands figure into the picture. about the region to visit archaeological wonders! So keep up the good work, let me know if you
have any needs in your chapter, and stay well out New to the meeting was a segment devoted to there the chapter representatives and whatever they deemed important to report on. It was a chance Norm Nelson, NM State SiteWatch Coordinator for chapters to hear directly from one another, seek answers or feedback, and to share the good * * * * * * * * * * * * * news from around the state.
Two trainings have been held in the past few months, one in Carlsbad (our thanks to the Carlsbad Museum for the training space) and one
in Santa Fe (many thanks to our partners in the Santa Fe Forest for a training space). See Newsbits for more details!
Southwest Chapter news is that Kyle is handing the coordinator’s job over to Marilyn Markel. She is a long-time member of the Grant Co. Photo by Norm Nelson Archeological Society and is very active in educational outreach programs. Many thanks to SiteWatch Chapters and Areas Marilyn for keeping the chapter on the move. I thank Kyle for all his energy and time to the Central New Mexico (Albuquerque) program and look forward to his continued Chaco Culture National Historical Park participation in the SiteWatch program. Elephant Butte/Caballo (Truth or Consequences) Jemez Mountains (Los Alamos) More partners are interested in utilizing Lincoln County (Lincoln NF) SiteWatch volunteers. Bandelier National Middle Rio Grande/ El Camino Real (Socorro) Monument wants to monitor the back country North Central (Taos) after last year’s massive Las Conchas fire. Northwest (Farmington) Erosion is an issue and the sites are easier to Quemado (Reserve District, USFS) spot now that the undergrowth is gone. Santa Fe/Galisteo Basin & Pecos NHP Discussions are slated for June. Petroglyph Southeast (Carlsbad) National Monument has also expressed a Southwest (Silver City) renewed interest. I will be meeting with South Central (Las Cruces) representatives of the park on May 14 to see Torrance County (Torrance County Arch. Soc.) what we can work out. Graffiti is the biggest issue for the park and our presence will help! Valencia County Chapter
See Chapter Coordinators list at: Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a recent http://www.abqarchaeology.org/nmsw.shtml newcomer to SiteWatch, but already has 21 sites being monitored. They anticipate more activity in the future. BLM sites in the Hobbs area have been added recently, with a very active group of volunteers operating out of the Western Heritage Museum. More BLM sites around the Carlsbad area should also be added to the list soon.
Page | 2 New Mexico SiteWatch
(Continued from Page 1) surprised and pleased at being in Hobbs as the NEWS BITS
Congratulations,
New Chapter Coordinator
SiteWatch is lucky to be getting the services of Marillyn Markel, who has kindly agreed to become the chapter coordinator for the Southwest Chapter. Congratulations Marilyn! Your energy and dedication are already
legendary in SiteWatch; we wish you luck with your new duties. We also deeply thank outgoing chapter coordinator Kyle Meredith, who has put in many, many hours of hard El M orro National M onument: Exchange work on the chapter the last few years. Take a deserved rest Kyle, but don’t disappear Students Fined For Vandalism from our ranks—we need you! By Leslie Bastik
From the National Park Service Morning Report -- Monday, April 23, 2012
On March 21st, two South Korean foreign exchange students attending the University of New Mexico on student visas pled guilty to charges of disturbing an
archeological site. On October 13, 2011, park employees discovered two names – “Super Duper Dana” and “Gabriel” – illegally carved into the Hueco Tanks Rock Art sandstone bluff known as Inscription Rock. After
Site Steward Foundation ascertaining that the monument visitor register included an entry that day by a visitor who identified
Offering Fall Tour herself as Dana Choi of South Korea, a protection
ranger began an investigation. Through Facebook, Gary Newgent, president of the Site Steward the ranger was able to identify the defendants, who Foundation of the Santa Fe National Forest, were arrested on December 2, 2011 based on a tells us that the Foundation is sponsoring a criminal complaint. The students entered their guilty fall 2012 tour of the Hueco Tanks site near El pleas under plea agreements that required them to Paso, Texas. The Foundation, though pay almost $30,000 to the NPS to cover the costs of founded in northern New Mexico, is making repairing the damage they caused. an effort to reach out to SiteWatch volunteers in the southern portion of New Mexico. The tour is being planned by Bill Hudson, president of the Grant County Archaeological Society in the Silver City area and new member at large on the Foundation Board. Gary says more details, date, etc. will be forthcoming soon via mass email announcements, but also check for information on the Foundation website www.sitestewardfoundation.org.
Page | 3 New Mexico SiteWatch
NewsBits, Cont’d: Recent Trainings, Annual Conference Full to Brim with Santa Fe and Carlsbad Varied Speakers By Phil Young and Rebecca Procter State Coordinator Norm Nelson and Acting Late January saw the first training session of SHPO Jan Biella welcomed stewards from 2012, held in Carlsbad at the behest of BLM around the state to our first annual conference archaeologist Jim Renn. The attendees to be held at the Museum of New Mexico included local citizens with long-time interests Stewart Udall Center, a beautiful “Pueblo in archaeology, former site stewards getting re- Modernist” building at Museum Hill in Santa Fe introduced to the program now that the chapter on February 19. The conference included is being started again, and professionals from important business, but was made especially Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The fun by the bevy of special presentations by afternoon field trip was to a large burned-rock professionals. ring midden, a feature related to prehistoric hot- rocks roasting of mescal roots. Such sites are ubiquitous in the southeastern part of our state, and occasionally contain deposits that are intact enough for thermoluminescent dating.
We heard about the sky of our ancestors and the Chaco Canyon Supernova petroglyph from State Parks interpreter and astronomer Peter Lipscomb. Exciting and unusually intact Paleoindian deposits are being unearthed and studied by the team of Dr. Robert Dello-Russo On Saturday March 24th, eleven interested site of the Office of Archaeological Studies. Robert stewards journeyed from Albuquerque & Taos gave a terrific outline of science in the making, plus locations in-between to join Santa Fe- showing how it is very much a work in progress. Galisteo Basin Chapter Coordinator Phil Young, Dr. Alysia Abbott described fascinating finds at Deputy State Coordinator/State Parks the San Miguel Mission church in Santa Fe, Archaeologist Rebecca Procter, and Cibola NF confirming that indeed the site was occupied Archaeologist Jeremy Kulisheck in discussions long before the Spanish arrived in New Mexico. about current SiteWatch programs and Helping us understand how archaeology has protocols. Many of the attendees were new evolved in our state was Ms. Dedie Snow of the SiteWatch stewards attending for the Archaeological Records Management Section. Introduction & Orientation training aspects, She gave details of the ARMS database and while others were more experienced, including how site survey records have evolved and a current steward, an experienced site steward increased in sophistication from the 1930s to from the Santa Fe National Forest Site today. Stewards, a professional archaeologist, and a tribal heritage program representative. Two of Just to make sure our brains were fired up and the newly trained were UNM students---(Go ready for all that knowledge, the Site Steward Anthro Lobos!) The afternoon field practices Foundation once again provided a terrific buffet introduction was conducted at San Marcos lunch for participants right on site. Thanks to Pueblo, led by none other than Sir William the SSF for their generosity, and for making it Baxter, site steward and tour guide possible for the stewards to get together over extraordinaire. A fine and instructive time was food and share stories and insights! Extra had by all… thanks to state coordinator Norm Nelson and volunteer state coordinator Mark Rosenblum for their work getting us a venue and helping with setup and cleanup!
Page | 4 New Mexico SiteWatch
Show ‘Em How It’s Done, Site Stewards! Site Damage Reported and Evaluated
In early March, site stewards Bob and Wilma Michael of the Elephant Butte Chapter visited their site for a quarterly review. A large and important Mogollon village at the northern end of Elephant Butte Lake, the site was first recorded in the 1930s and has seen multiple re-recordings, but also much natural and man-made damage over the years. That morning, Bob and Wilma found clear evidence of machine damage to the site, and observed vehicles from a road construction and maintenance crew nearby. Bob made photos of the damage to send to the chapter coordinator, but even more important, he had taken earlier baseline photos of the site in some of the same locations. It was thus very easy to see where new damage had occurred. Chapter coordinator Rebecca Procter worked with the Bureau of Reclamation archeologist Mark Hungerford to identify the road crew and find out what went wrong. It turns out the workmen were from Mark’s own agency, and there had been a breakdown in communication about where the crew should not go during is road grading work. At an office-wide meeting at his agency, Mark was able to convey how serious the situation was but also confirm that the damage appears to have been unintentional.
As heartbreaking as the incident is, it has been the stimulus for some good actions. The Bureau of Reclamation is taking steps to make sure its field crews are never allowed to go out without a manager present who is aware of sensitive cultural sites that must be avoided. Rebecca and Mark Hungerford have visited to evaluate the level of damage done and consider next steps. Mr. Hungerford is now working to get funding to do some digital mapping and archaeological work to retrieve information from the damaged areas to help mitigate for the loss of intact deposits.
Most important of all, Bob and Wilma kept their heads, documented the damage, and left the site right away to make sure they stayed safe! A HUGE thank you to them for doing such a great job! This is what we are all about, and it’s great to see stewards so committed to our mission. Rebecca just wants to thank all the stewards at the Elephant Butte Chapter for being so diligent and dedicated----we are following in the footsteps of fantastic stewards state-wide, and want to maintain their high standard!
The slab-lined bin (see uprights in left side of photo) which was narrowly missed by a road grader during recent damage to this Mogollon pithouse village.
Page | 5 New Mexico SiteWatch
Roger
Roger A. Moore V.T. Archaeologist Chaco Culture NHP
→Speaking from my experience working with John at Chaco, I have found him to be a dedicated volunteer and has done a great job training new site stewards. He has been instrumental in helping with recent revisions to the program, and has become a first class student in our rock art remediation program. Not only that, but he is a great guy to work with. We hope we John Morris receives Richard A. Bice Award, can keep him for many years to come. Archaeological Society of NM. Photo by Gretchen Obenauf Contributed by Roger A. Moore,
V.T. Archaeologist, John Morris Recognized for Years of Chaco Culture National Excellent Service to the Historical Park Archaeological Community
The Richard A. Bice Award for Archaeological Achievement, 2012, inscribed as follows:
"In recognition of a decade of extensive contributions to the New Mexico Site Watch Volunteer Program.”
John’s volunteer efforts include service in multiple capacities to the Santa Fe National Forest, Cibola national Forest, and the Rio
Grande and Central SiteWatch Chapters. Interior windows, Pueblo Bonito Further recognition is warranted for his Photo by Rebecca Procter efforts as steward and program coordinator with the Chaco Culture National Historical Park Program.→
Page | 6 New Mexico SiteWatch
New Mexico SiteWatch
QuickSheet – Site Visit Safety Tips
Follow the mandatory SiteWatch sign-out procedure: make sure someone (preferably your Chapter Coordinator) knows where you’re going, your route, and when you’re due back. Take the time to make sure your vehicle is in good condition, with a full tank of gas If using a cell phone, be sure it works onsite. If not absolutely certain, bring a backup form of communication. Carry lots of water and extra food (enough for an extended stay in the field due to vehicle breakdown, new site discovery, or other unexpected delay) Be aware of the weather – don’t guess, don’t take chances Be cautious when driving through arroyos, washes, or muddy areas If your vehicle breaks down, stay near it. Leave your vehicle only if certain beyond doubt where help is located If you must walk, rest 10 minutes per hour. Avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight Wear the proper clothes for conditions onsite; keep in mind changes in altitude, storm forecasts, etc. Travel and work in teams (at least two, depending on agency guidelines).
When approaching your site, be aware of fresh disturbances (tire tracks, footprints, vehicles); View the site from as far away as safely possible- do not approach if suspicious activity is taking place: FIND-REPORT-DOCUMENT. Observe what is going on from safe distance and report to authorities. * Do not pickup “trash” on way into site; it may be evidence from illegal activity. After site is inspected and there is no new unauthorized activity you can pickup recent litter on your way out (leave potential historic items). Always check-in with your Chapter Coordinator upon safe arrival home, or completion of your trip. Report what you found to your Chapter Coordinator (as required by the land manager).
* site #, date, mileage, time spent traveling, time on-site, what was found, etc.
NOTE: The Chapter Coordinator is responsible for getting the information to the appropriate Agency Representative after each visit or Quarterly (or in some cases just annually) depending on the needs of the Agency.
Page | 7 New Mexico SiteWatch
Page | 8 New Mexico SiteWatch
Page | 9 New Mexico SiteWatch